Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Stew with Sausage

Stirring the Pot

Here's a bright and delicious slow cooker stew recipe with sausages - and it's tasty using any sausage you choose, from free-range roaming buffalo to furry-friendly vegan. Scrumptious. Seriously. Make it for the Big Game. You know, the one with a pigskin ball and helmeted men in shiny tights. Throw all the ingredients in a Crock Pot and go root for your favorite tight end. Make a hot artichoke dip and grab some gluten-free chips. Game on.Go Cubs!

Okay I confess. I'm not watching the game. Game fever is something utterly, totally beyond me. Apparently I lack a few mirror neurons. Sports? Yawn. I dare you to make me comprehend football. Go ahead. Try. Many have tread that tortuous path and failed, my friend. Great minds have worked tirelessly to convey the rules, to communicate the strategy. The triumph. The back field in motion and the blitz.

But what they don't realize? Deep down inside my private tiny girl heart- my neurons don't CARE. They really don't. And I know you think that if only I let you explain The Game to me I would finally, miraculously, ecstatically get it! And paint my face red and blue, but. It's never going to happen.

It's a non-conforming neuron issue.

So, the Patriots? Are they the soccer team Mel Gibson coaches? Excuse me while I alphabetize my spice rack.

Hearty and tasty gluten-free slow cooker stew.

Karina's Slow Cooker Stew Recipe with Sausage

Recipe posted January 2011.This is a robust and rowdy recipe perfect for a crowd to slurp during half time or whatever time you happen to crave something hot, slightly spicy, and just plain winter day delicious. And there's not a bean in sight. Not one. Need it meat-free?That's easy, Babycakes. Just use gluten-free vegan sausage. Or beans. Boom. Team Vegan.

Instructions:Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of a Crock Pot or slow cooker and turn it on to High. When the oil is warm add the chopped garlic and onion; stir to coat. Add the carrots, cabbage and potatoes. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Add the canned tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, sage, basil, parsley, and hot red pepper flakes, to taste. Pour in enough broth to generously cover the veggies. (If you like more of a brothy stew add more broth; a thicker stew, add less.)

Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours, until the potatoes and carrots are fork-tender and the cabbage is melty soft. Add the sliced sausages to warm through (they usually are cooked; if the sausages you use are not cooked, add them in at the beginning). If you need to add more liquid, add some extra broth. Cover and heat through for another twenty to thirty minutes till heated through.

Taste test for seasoning adjustments. Add a pinch of brown sugar to balance the heat or tartness, if you need to. Add more salt and ground pepper, if you need it.